Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 203: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

190 was I relieved from the hideous, frightful appre- hensions which had taken possession of me: but as I began to comprehend r.y position, and where I was, those fears were succeeded by others of a more bewildering, if of a less terrific description. I was not buried alive—I was not in my coffin—it was no gaseous illumination from the dead which swung before my eyes—and those were no groans from the depth of a sepulchre which had reached my ears. I was on board a ship—in one of the narrow, low, circumscribed berths of a cabin: a lantern, suspended to the ceiling, swung to the tossings of the ship; and a fellow-passenger, in another berth, was moaning either in terror or in illness. Thus, in some sense my soul experienced an infinite relief: but in another it became a prey to a torturing bewilderment, as I asked myself to what part of the world I was bound—in whose power I was—and to what treatment I was to be subjected P While I thus lay reflecting, I became aware that the weather was most tempestuous. The wind was sweeping, and howling, and gushing, and moaning—the vessel was pitching and tossing— the waves were dashing over the deck. I could hear the waters mingling their sounds with those of the wind. Then, too, there was the creaking of the timbers—the straining of the ship as if the planks were about to part asunder, or the entire mass break in halves and consign us all to the deep. I longed to question some one,—to ask what ship it was—its size—its -capacity to contend against the growing storm—and whither it was bound? I peeped forth from my berth, holding however in such a manner as to prevent myself from being tossed completely out of it; and L was enabled to take a more accurate survey of the cabin than I had yet done. It contained twelve of these berths; and so far as I could judge, most, if not all of them were occupied. The heat of the place was intense; and it had a fetid odour. The floor was strown with garments, which the heaying and the tossing of the vessel had evidently cast pell-mell together: but I was lying in my berth with my clothes on. I lay down again, and con- tinued my reflections. It was evident that I had been thrown into a state of stupor by the wine which the perfidious woman at the house in Albion Buildings had given me; and in that state I had been borne to the wharf or dock, where, as I now remembered, a fresh draught—also a stupifying one—had been poured down my throat ; and there- fore in a state of unconsciousness was I placed on board this vessel But I knew not whether minutes or hours had elapsed from the instant I was thus conveyed on board, until that when I re- gained my senses. While I was thus thinking to myself, and col- lecting as well as I could my reminiscences of all that had preceded my forced embarkation, I heard one of the passengers call out to another by name. “Well, Tomsett, how do you like this?” said the individual who thus spoke. “ Not at all!’ was the answer given. “ If this is a sample of what we’re to expect during a voyage of six or seven months, it’s not a very pleasant one. JI wish I hadn’t took to emigrating—that I do!” Good heavens, here was indeed a light that had burst in upon me! A voyage of six or seven JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT., months !—a voyage to some far, far distant place —a voyage to the Antipodes ! “Where do you think we are now?” inquired another speaker, from a berth under mine: it was also a male voice, and the accents were those of a person suffering much from either illness or ter- ror. “We must be near the North Foreland,” an- wered another individual. “It’s a good two hours and a half since that sailor who came down told us we were at the Nore; and running before the wind like this, we must have got to the Fore- land. Besides, that’s the reason we’re pitching and tossing so. There’s always a tremendous sea round the Foreland, when the wind blows like this.” : “What do you call the Foreland?” asked another person, evidently not so wise upon the subject as the individual who had been speaking. “Why, the Foreland,” rejoined the latter, “is a jutting point of the Isle of Thanet, on the north- east coast—when you’ve passed Margate a good bit and are turning round towards Ramsgate. You're then getting into the open sea, so to speak.” “We must have had a quick passage from Blackwall,” observed the man who had first of all spoken. “ Why, we have come a matter of ninety miles or so. It was ten o’clock when the ship weighed anchor; and it ought now to be seven in the morning—time for getting up.” “Oh, I never shall be able to get up!” moaned another passenger from another berth. ‘“‘ As for breakfast, I couldn’t eat a morsel: I’ve been so dreadfully sick !” é “ That’s the very reason,” rejoined another, “why you ought to take food as soon as you.can. But I wonder whether that young fellow who was brought in last of all, has recovered himself yet ? He seemed, poor chap, quite overcome.” “Why, you see,” said another person, speaking in a low voice, as if he thought it possible I might be awake and overhear what he was saying,— “he had drunk more than his young head could well carry. But it’s excusable, you know, when taking leave of one’s friends to go to such an out- landish place as New South Wales. His uncle—who by the bye was a queer-looking man—the hump- back, I mean But I say, youngster! are you awake there ?” Knowing that the question was addressed to me, I was just on the point of answering, when it suddenly occurred to me that if I showed that I was awake, the conversation on this particular topic would doubtless at once cease; and, as the reader may suppose, it had become vitally inte- resting to me. I accordingly remained silent— but listening with breathless suspense for the renewal of the discourse. “Well, it’s evident the youngster hasn’t slept off the fumes of the liquor yet,” continued the last speaker. “My heavens! there was a toss the ship gave!”—-and for a few moments there was silence in the cabin, broken only by the moats of some of the passengers who were ill. ‘“ But as I was observing,” the man went on to. say, “that uncle of the youngster’s seemed greatly concerned about him, and recommended him to our care. So I suppose we must have a look after him— more particularly as the poor lad is slightly ‘ ; _* RL te i i 00) 6S (CO) im