Page:The Ladies' Cabinet of Fashion, Music & Romance 1832.pdf/55

 

" The advice appeared judicious ; and after hailing the brig, to obtain the captain's permission , we hastily collected a few articles, and having fired the hulk in two or three places, returned on board with the dog, and the unfortunate survivor, who allowed himself to be placed in the boat without saying a word, or making the slightest resistance. Heavy columns of smoke rising, for the greater part of the day, far astern of us, indicated the position of the burning ship ; and painfully sad and acute were my feelings, when my mind reverted to the deserted girl, and her gleaming, ocean-rocked funeral pile. " The remainder of our voyage was prosperous , and marked by the occurrence of no new adventure. The captain, mate, and myself endeavoured , by all the means in our power, and by every show of kindness, to restore the spirits of our new passenger ; and we were at last successful enough to remove in a great degree the abstraction of mind in which he was at first wrapped ; though a deep melancholy still hung over him , which all our efforts were in vain exerted to dispel. He spoke but seldom, and then only in reply to questions put to him by one or other of us ; and as he never adverted to his former history, delicacy forbade our hinting at the subject, although our curiosity was wound up to the highest pitch. " We were delayed for some weeks in Curaçoa, in disposing of our cargo, and obtaining a new one, during which time, by unremitted attention and constant association, I had in a great measure won the stranger's confidence . As he became more communicative, he displayed in mind and manners all the polish of the gentleman. We were again at sea, and nearly in the same place where a few weeks before we had fallen in with the plundered ship, when the stranger suddenly broke the thread of some desultory discourse which he had been maintaining with me, as we sat together on the sky-light, by remarking : " It was hereabout, my kind friend, that we first met. Here you found me in an 6 awful situation indeed ; ' and his brow darkened as he spoke ; you saved my life ; but I now set so little value upon it, that I know not whether to thank you or not for the deed. ' " I deserve not your thanks,' said I, ' for I risked nothing in your behalf.' 666 That may be true,' he interposed, that may be true ; but few however, would have borne with my wayward humours, and exerted themselves to restore me to myself, as you have done, and I only regret that it does not lie in my power to make F 2