Ben Hadden; or, Do Right Whatever Comes Of It Read online

  CHAPTER EIGHT.

  DO RIGHT, WHATEVER COMES OF IT.

  "Land! land!" shouted little Ben, from the foretop-masthead; for he hadbeen out of his hammock and aloft before break of day, that he mighthave the best opportunity of seeing land if it was to be seen. "Yes,yes, that must be the land; those are tops of mountains covered withsnow, just what Mr Martin told me might be seen before sunrise. Land!land! away on the starboard bow!" he shouted more loudly.

  The officer of the watch heard him, and was soon, with his telescopeslung over his shoulder, ascending the rigging. Ben pointed out thedirection in which he saw the snow-capped peaks.

  "You have a sharp pair of eyes, boy Hadden," observed the officer, whowas looking through his glass; "those are the Andes or Cordilleras, sureenough, though seventy miles off at least--it may be many more thanthat."

  Ben thought that he must indeed have a sharp pair of eyes, if he couldsee an object seventy miles off; yet he found that the officer wascorrect. All the men aloft now saw the mountains, and very soon theycould be perceived by those on deck. Shortly after the sun rose,however, thin and light mists ascended, and veiled them from view.Still the ship sailed on with a fair breeze, hour after hour, and noland appeared. Ben began to fancy that he must have been mistaken. Hewas somewhat surprised, therefore, when he was sent for into thecaptain's cabin.

  "I find that you were the first to see land this morning, boy Hadden,"said the captain in a kind tone. "There is no great merit in that, butafter a long passage it might be of much consequence, and I wish toreward you. You, however, rendered me a far greater service when youdiscovered the iceberg rounding Cape Horn. I shall not forget that. Inthe meantime I present you with a sovereign, to show you that I approveof your conduct on that and other occasions."

  Ben, thanking the captain, left the cabin, highly pleased at the praisehe had received, and very glad also to get the sovereign; not that hemight spend it on himself, but that he might send it home to his mother;and he had some notion that he could do so by some means or other, buthow, he could not tell. He would consult Mr Martin.

  "Oh, it was to get that gold sovereign which made you so eager aboutgoing aloft of late," observed Tom, who was somewhat jealous of hiscompanion.

  "Yes. I wanted it to send to my mother," answered Ben quietly.

  "But she can't want it. I never send my mother anything, nor doesfather, that I know of," exclaimed Tom. "Much better, Ben, to spend itlike a man ashore. We could have rare fun with it, depend on that."

  "My mother is a widow, and that is one reason why she should want themoney, though yours doesn't," said Ben. "Then, though I came to sea inthe hope of finding Ned, I also came that I might get money to take careof mother in her old age; so I think it right to send her the firstsovereign I have got, and I hope that it will be followed by many more."

  "You are always talking about doing right in this thing and that; buthow do you know what is right?" exclaimed Tom, vexed at the idea that heshould not benefit, as he thought he ought to do, by the gift hismessmate had received.

  "How can you ask that?" said Ben. "Haven't we got the Bible to show usin the first place, and if we can't make up our minds clearly on thematter from it, which, I allow, is possible, then cannot we pray to beguided aright? and does not God promise that He will hear our prayers,and send the Holy Spirit to guide us?"

  "Yes, I know all that," answered Tom, turning away. In truth, Tom oughtto have known it as well as Ben, for his father had frequently told himthe same; but, though he had heard, the words had passed from one earout at the other: he had not taken them in.

  Early in the day the master had stated the hour at which the coast-lineof South America would be seen; for the mountains Ben had discovered areseveral miles inland, and are many thousand feet high--indeed, the rangeof the Andes is one of the highest in the world. It now appeared at thehour the master said it would, standing up rocky and broken, from thevery margin of the ocean. As the frigate drew nearer, the land lookedvery dry and barren, and utterly unworthy of the name it bears.

  "If you were to see it in winter, just after the rains are over, youwould speak very differently of it," observed Mr Martin, who had beenthere before. "Never judge of things, and, above all, of countries, atfirst sight. At the right time this country looks as green and freshand beautiful a country as you need ever wish to see."

  In the afternoon the frigate anchored in the bay of Valparaiso, which islined by lofty hills, underneath one of which, and climbing up thesides, the town is built.

  Ben was very anxious to go on shore, that he might inquire among all thesailors he could meet if any of them had heard anything of his brotherNed. Mr Charlton knew this, and arranged that he might have theopportunity of carrying out his plans as far as possible. Whenever aboat left for the shore, Ben was therefore allowed to go in her. Soonafter their arrival, a boat in which Ben went was sent from the frigateunder command of a midshipman, who had some commission to perform in thetown. On leaving the boat, the midshipman said, "Two of you will remainas boat-keepers; the rest may step on shore, but are not to stray out ofsight of the boat. Remember, these are the captain's orders."

  "Ay, ay, sir," was the answer; but no sooner had the midshipmandisappeared up the street, than the men all jumped on shore to look outfor a grog-shop. Not one was to be seen, and on that account the placehad been selected by the captain for the landing of the boat's crew. Invain they searched.

  "Now, Ben Hadden, here's a job for you," said the coxswain of the boat,when they had come back and sat down in rather a sulky mood. "Just youscud up the street, and bring us down a couple of bottles ofarguardiente. You are certain to find some place where they sell it,and there's five shillings for yourself. I know you want money to sendto your mother; Tom told me so. Very right in you. Come, be sharpabout it, there's a good lad."

  "Thank you, Brown," said Ben, not moving from his seat; "but you forgetthat Mr Manners said it was the captain's orders no one should go outof sight of the boat. Even if you were to offer me five pounds formother, I couldn't go--"

  "Oh, nonsense, boy!" answered Brown; "it isn't the money you care about,I know, but do it just to oblige us."

  "No, no, Brown. I have been taught always to do right, whatever comesof it, and never to do wrong, even if it seems as if no harm would comeof it," said Ben firmly.

  "All right, I daresay, boy; but surely there's no harm in getting somegrog in this hot weather," argued Brown.

  "It's against orders, it's against the regulations, it's disobedience,"returned Ben. "We were ordered not to go out of sight of the boat, andunless we do the arguardiente cannot be got."

  "Oh, this is all shilly-shallying humbug!" exclaimed Brown angrily."Come, a couple of you, with me, and we'll have the liquor, and be backin a jiffy."

  "Remember, Brown, if you do, and I am asked, I'll speak the truth, I'llwarn you," said Ben undauntedly.

  "And I'll break your head, if you do!" exclaimed Brown, springing out ofthe boat, followed by two of the other men, while the rest soonscattered themselves about the quay, leaving Ben sitting in the boat.He, at all events, determined not to move, though the properboat-keepers deserted their post. He sat on for some time, watchingpeople passing on shore: blacks, and brown men, the aboriginal nativesof the country, and white people descended from Spaniards, in theirvaried and picturesque costumes; and two or three processions passed, ofpriests, in white and purple dresses, and some in gold and scarlet, withbanners of the Virgin Mary and saints, and crucifixes, and images, andbells tinkling, and men and boys chanting and swinging about incense,just as Ben had read used to be done in heathen days, but quitedifferent to the custom of Protestant England. Some of the priests weregoing to visit the sick and dying, and others were on their way toattend funerals; indeed, there seemed to be a good deal of commotion onshore among the ecclesiastics. Ben could not, however, exactly tellwhat it all meant.

  A considerable time thus passed, and he wished that his sh
ipmates wouldreturn to the boat, lest Mr Manners should come down before them. Theboat had begun to move about a good deal lately, and Ben, on lookinground, discovered that a heavy sea was rolling into the harbour.Directly after this she struck with a loud noise against the stone pier.Ben sprang to his feet, and with the boat-hook did his best to fend offthe boat, shouting at the same time to the crew to come to hisassistance; but they were too much occupied with what was going forwardon shore to listen to him. Still he continued to exert himself to theuttermost, for he saw that, if he did not do so, the boat would bedashed to pieces. Again and again he shouted, till he was almost wornout with his labours. He might at any moment have jumped on shore, andleft the boat to her fate; but he never thought of doing so. While hewas thus engaged, he heard his name called, and, looking up, he saw thegood-natured face of Mr Manners, who was watching him from the quayabove.

  "Why, boy Hadden, how comes it that you are left in the boat alone?" heasked. "Where are the rest?"

  "There, sir," said Ben, pointing to where a few were to be seen.

  The midshipman ran towards them, shouting out at the same time. Theycame, at length, very unwillingly.

  "See, you have allowed the boat to be almost stove in!" exclaimed thegenerally quiet young midshipman. "Jump in, now, and keep her off.Where are the rest?"

  The men, after getting into the boat, were silent for some time. Themidshipman repeated the question.

  "Just round the end of that street," said one of the men. "Shall I goand call them, sir? What keeps them, I don't know."

  "No," answered the midshipman firmly. "We will pull off a shortdistance, and wait for them. If they do not come down immediately, Iwill go on board without them."

  The officer was just about to utter the words, "Give way!" when themissing men were seen hurrying down, with uneven steps, towards thequay. The boat put in, and took them on board. Their countenances wereflushed, and their manner wild; but they did not venture to speak much.The midshipman saw that they were endeavouring to conceal something, asthey took their seats. "Heave those bottles overboard!" he exclaimedsuddenly, when they had got a little way from the quay.

  The men hesitated. "Not till they are empty," cried one. "Not till wehave had what is in them," exclaimed another, putting a bottle to hislips.

  The midshipman, a spirited lad, sprang from his seat, and, passing theintervening men, with a boat-stretcher which he had seized dashed thebottle from the man's lips ere a drop could have been drunk. This soexasperated the already tipsy sailor, that he flung himself on the youngofficer, and, seizing him in his arms, threw him overboard.

  Ben, though not in time to prevent this, jumped from the boat, holdingon by one of the tiller-ropes, and grasped his young officer by thecollar. "Haul us in, mates!" he cried. "You won't surely add murder towhat that man has done!"

  Even the worst men were somewhat sobered when they saw what hadhappened, and the other man who had the bottle to his lips stoppeddrinking; and, fearful of consequences to themselves, they began to haulthe officer and Ben together on board.

  "Quick! quick, mates! or it will be too late!" cried the coxswain, whohad remained on the quay, though he had been guilty of letting the othermen go.

  A dark object was seen in the water. It darted towards them.

  "A shark! a shark!" was the cry.

  Ben quickly sprang into the boat; but barely was Mr Manners hauled onboard than a flash of white appeared, a huge mouth opened and closedagain with a loud snap, and a shark darted away, disappointed of itsprey. Even the most drunken of the men were sobered, and the bottles ofspirit they had procured at so much risk were thrown overboard. Themidshipman quickly recovered.

  "They are all gone, sir," said the coxswain in a humble tone. "The menhope that you won't say anything about what has happened."

  "I would gladly avoid doing so, so far as I am myself concerned,although, no thanks to Dick Nolan, I am a living man, instead of a deadone in the body of a shark; but discipline must be maintained. I shouldbe neglecting my duty if I did not report those who disobeyed orders. Ishall speak of you in no vindictive spirit, and it will not be my faultif the man who threw me into the water receives the punishment which isjustly his due: that punishment would be nothing short of death--remember that, my men! I have been taught by a Book, which I wish thatyou all would read, to forgive my enemies and those who injure me; andtherefore I will, for the sake of our loving Saviour, endeavour to saveNolan's life."

  The men hung down their heads. This was a very different style ofaddress from what they were accustomed to. No one expected it; evenBen, who had frequently been with Mr Manners, did not. The mosthardened felt ashamed of themselves; they were certain that the youngofficer would not injure them if he could help it, but they also knewthat he must report them.

  At length the boat reached the ship, and Mr Manners went into the cabinto give an account of the mission on which he had been sent on shore.Ben felt very anxious for the boat's crew; and the culprits, especially,felt very anxious for themselves. Ben forgot all about himself, and hedid not suppose that he was likely to gain credit for the part he hadacted. He was therefore very much surprised when he was sent for intothe cabin.

  "I find, Hadden, that you have behaved admirably on two occasionsto-day, once in staying by the boat when the proper boat-keepers hadleft her, and preventing her from being stove in; and secondly, injumping into the sea and saving Mr Manners when he fell overboard. Iwish you to know how highly I approve of your conduct, and will considerhow I can best reward you."

  Ben was highly pleased at hearing this. He kept pulling away at thefront lock of his hair, and thanking the captain, till he was told thathe might leave the cabin.

  Seamen generally know what has taken place among each other, even whenthe officers do not. Tom soon heard all that had occurred, and told hisfather. It was reported the next day that the captain proposed floggingthree of the men who had been on shore with Mr Manners. Then it wasknown that several of the boat's crew were down with a severe fever, andit was reported that the captain knew that there was a fever on shore,and that therefore he had not given leave to the men to go as they hadbeen accustomed to do. Nolan, who had thrown Mr Manners overboard, wasthe very worst of them. It was said that he was talking veryfrantically, and accusing himself of the deed. In this dreadful statehe continued raving for two days, when he was silent from exhaustion,and died. The captain, hoping to prevent the spread of the fever amongthe crew, put to sea. Many more, however, were taken ill, of whomseveral died, and were buried at sea.

  One day, Mr Martin called Ben and Tom into his cabin. "Now, boys, Ijust want to point out to you what you must remember to the end of yourdays; that is, the terrible effects of disobedience. Those poor fellowswhose corpses we have lowered overboard, I daresay, thought that theywere doing no great harm when they ran off to the grog-shop. They knew,of course, that they were disobeying the orders of Mr Manners, themidshipman in command of the boat; but they said to themselves, `Oh, heis only a midshipman, no harm can come of it. We shall be back beforehe is, and he need know nothing about the matter.' They forgot that themidshipman was acting under the orders of the captain, and the captainunder those of the Government of our country, and that Governments andauthorities were instituted by God for the well-being and happiness ofthe community. They thought that they were committing a little sin, butthey were in reality guilty of a great crime. See the result. One ofthem nearly committed murder, and if he had lived, and the captain hadbeen informed of what he had done, he would have been hung. I know allabout it, though the crew think I don't. Then they catch the fever,bring it aboard, some of them lose their own lives, and they risk thelives of all the ship's company. Just in the same way people go on inthe world. God has given us orders what we are to do, and what we arenot to do. How do we act? We neglect to do what He has commanded us todo, and do the very things He has told us not to do, saying all the timeto ourselves, `It is only a little
sin, it is only a slightdisobedience; so slight, God won't notice it; no harm can come of it.'That is one of Satan's most cunning and most successful devices fordestroying the souls of men. He tried it with Adam and Eve, and hastried it on all their descendants ever since, and will try it as long ashe `goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.' Oh,boys, remember that `not a sparrow falls to the ground' but God sees it,and that He therefore knows all that you do; and that, though a sin mayappear a trifle in your sight, it is not a trifle in God's sight, for Heabhors all sin. `He cannot look on iniquity.'"

  Tom looked very grave when his father spoke, and felt very serious. Benclearly understood and remembered the important lesson given him, andprayed silently that he might always make use of it when, temptationshould come in his way. He was very happy, and he knew it, in being ina ship with such good men as Mr Charlton and Mr Martin, to whom he nowfound that he might add Mr Manners. These men, though only a few amongmany, had a great effect on the mass, and helped to leaven in somedegree the whole ship's company. Ben himself produced a good effect notonly on Tom, but among the other boys of the ship, and even with many ofthe men, though he was not aware of it, and would not have talked aboutit if he had been.

  In consequence of the fever, the frigate did not go back to Valparaiso,but stood away to the northward, looking in at other ports along thecoast where any British merchantmen were to be found. It is thusEngland protects her commerce, by showing the inhabitants of the variousports in the world to which her merchants trade, that she has the powerto punish those who may venture to ill-treat them; her consuls and anyother authorities are supported; and any seamen or other Britishsubjects who misbehave themselves on board English ships can be broughtto punishment. If British subjects break the laws of the country inwhich they are residing, they are left to be punished according to thoselaws. It is, however, the duty of the consul, supported by theauthority of the captain of a man-of-war, to see that they are notpunished except justly, according to those laws.

  Callao, the port of Lima, the capital of Peru, was the last place on thewest of America at which the frigate touched. She anchored in a largebay, guarded by forts, and opposite the modern town of Callao, whichstands near the beach. Upwards of a hundred years ago a fearfulearthquake occurred, which shook Lima to the ground; and a huge waverolling in towards the shore at the same time, overwhelmed the old townof Callao, and destroyed the greater part, if not the whole, of theinhabitants.

  Peru was taken by the Spaniards three hundred years ago from the nativeIndians, who lived happily under their own princes and chiefs. Thelatter were treated with the greatest cruelty and injustice by theirconquerors, and compelled to work in the silver and copper mines whichexist along the whole range of the Andes. The Spaniards were, in theirturn, dispossessed of the government of the country by the descendantsof the early settlers, who were assisted by the natives and the peopledescended from natives and Spaniard. Unhappily, the Roman Catholicreligion is established throughout the whole of Chili and Peru, for thehistory of the two countries is nearly the same; and the people have thecharacteristics which are to be found wherever that religion prevails.The great mass are ignorant and superstitious; their priests, of whomthere are great numbers, grossly impose on their credulity.

  The mines, as from the first, are worked by the natives, who are,however, from their delicate constitutions, so unfitted for that sort oflabour that they have rapidly decreased in numbers. The consequence is,that many of the mines have been closed for want of hands to work them.

  While the Ajax lay at Callao, Captain Bertram heard that, shortlybefore, an expedition of a dozen or more vessels had been fitted out toentrap and carry off the natives of the various islands of the Pacific,for the purpose of making them work in the mines of Peru. What matteredit to these wretches whether the islanders they proposed to enslave wereChristians and civilised, or cannibal savages? They would havepreferred the former as more likely to be docile under the treatment towhich they proposed to subject them. At first Captain Bertram wouldscarcely believe that people professing to be civilised and Christianscould be guilty of an act of such atrocious barbarity. He remembered,however, who these Chilians are; that in their dispositions andeducation they differ in no way from Spaniards, and that the Spanishhave been to the last the most active agents in the African slave-trade.Those who know the high state of civilisation of which the natives ofEastern Polynesia are capable, and the remarkable fitness of their mindsfor receiving the truths of the gospel, will naturally feel unmitigatedhorror at the thought of their being made the victims of so abominable ascheme. This was especially the feeling of Mr Charlton when he heardthe account, and he resolved to use every exertion to capture theslavers, and to bring their crews to justice.