James Fenimore Cooper The Water witch, Volume 2

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artifice, has thrice escaped me; the fourth time, it may be our fortune. If
this ship possesses the power to destroy the lawless rover, let him look to
his fate!
With this menace on his lips, Ludlow quitted the cabin, to resume his station
on the deck, and to renew his unwearied watching of the movements of the
chase.
The change in the wind was altogether in favor of the brigantine. It brought
her to windward, and was the means of placing the two vessels in positions
that enabled the Water-Witch to profit the most by her peculiar construction.
Consequently, when Ludlow reached his post, he saw that the swift and light
craft had trimmed every thing close upon the wind, and that she was already so
far ahead, as to render the chances of bringing her again within range of his
guns almost desperate; unless, indeed, some of the many vicissitudes, so
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common on the ocean, should interfere in his behalf. There remained little
else to be done, therefore, but to crowd every sail on the Coquette that the
ship would bear, and to endeavor to keep within sight of the chase, during the
hours of darkness which must so shortly succeed. But before the sun had fallen
to the level of the water, the hull of the Water-Witch had disappeared; and
when the day closed, no part of her airy outline was visible, but that which
was known to belong to her upper and lighter spars. In a few minutes
afterwards, darkness covered the ocean; and the seamen of the royal cruiser
were left to pursue their object, at random.
How far the Coquette had run during the night does not appear, but when her
commander made his appearance on the following morning, his long and anxious
gaze met no other reward than a naked horizon. On every side, the sea
presented the same waste of water. No object was visible, but the seafowl
wheeling on his wide wing, and the summits of the irregular and green billows.
Throughout that and many succeeding days, the cruiser continued to plow the
ocean, sometimes running large, with every thing opened to the breeze that the
wide booms would spread, and, at others, pitching and laboring with adverse
winds, as if bent on prevailing over the obstacles which even nature presented
to her progress. The head of the worthy Alderman had got completely turned;
and though he patiently awaited the result, before the week was ended, he knew
not even the direction in which the ship was steering. At length he had reason
to believe that the end of their cruise approached. The efforts of the seamen
were observed to relax, and the ship was permitted to pursue her course, under
easier sail.
It was past meridian, on one of those days of moderate exertion, that
Fran�ois was seen stealing from below, and staggering from gun to gun, to a
place in the centre of the ship, where he habitually took the air, in good
weather, and where he might dispose of his person, equally without presuming
too far on the good-nature of his superiors, and without courting too much
intimacy with the coarser herd who composed the common crew.
Ah! exclaimed the valet, addressing his remark to the midshipman who has
already been mentioned by the name of Hopper-- Voil� la terre! Quel bonheur! I
shall be so happy--le batiment be trop agr�able, mais vous savez, Monsieur
Aspirant; que je ne suis point marin--What be le nom du pays?
They call it, France, returned the boy, who understood enough of the
other s language to comprehend his meaning; and a very good country it
is--for those that like it.
Ma foi, non! --exclaimed Fran�ois, recoiling a pace, between amazement and
delight.
Call it Holland, then, if you prefer that country most.
Dites-moi, Monsieur Hoppair, continued the valet, laying a trembling finger
on the arm of the remorseless young rogue; est-ce la France?
One would think a man of your observation could tell that for himself. Do
you not see the church-tower, with a ch�teau in the back-ground, and a village
built in a heap, by its side. Now look into yon wood! There is a walk,
straight as a ship s wake in smooth water, and one--two--three--ay, eleven
statues, with just one nose among them all!
Ma foi--dere is not no wood, and no ch�teau, and no village, and no statue,
and no no nose,--mais Monsieur, je suis ag�--est-ce la France?
Oh, you miss nothing by having an indifferent sight, for I shall explain it
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all, as we go along. You see yonder hill-side, looking like a pattern-card, of
green and yellow stripes, or a signal-book, with the flags of all nations, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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