Booth Tarkington

“ BIMBO
There it is!
(The Gunner groans, shaking his head, and Bimbo sinks despondently into a chair.)
LYDIA
But what could pi——
BIMBO (quickly)
Be silent, mistress! You but show your ignorance and rub salt in a galled wound. (He clasps his forehead, suffering; then rises, returns to his table, and speaks resignedly.) ’Tis the way o’ the universe, so why should we complain? In all the world no man has full understanding of any other—nor has any woman— (with a resentful side glance at Lydia) —of anything, I think. Hark ye, mistress; you’re young and may learn a little. ”

“ BIMBO (to Lydia)
Now, look ye: In all our ventures from first to last, never once have we took our toll of poor seafaring bodies that we did not pass the hat for ’em, and every man of our crew from captain to cook’s helper put in something to make life brighter and give our captives hope when we sent ’em on their way to begin their business over again. If your father had been a poor man—and of better morals—and if what we levy of his cargo sorely crippled his hope to make a living, we’d do as much for him. As it is, it’s not to be looked for. ”

“ BIMBO
Your father, yes. I wouldn’t keep a Sunday-swearing man among my crew at no price! One rotten apple in a barrel will contaminate the whole.
LYDIA (anxiously)
And Robert and me——
BIMBO
You scratched and fought or you’d not ha’ been touched. Now that you’ve learned what becomes a respectable-manner female, you’re not only free to go, but you must go. By the strictest law of our commonwealth, women are not permitted aboard except when the ship might be in a port, and then only on Saturday afternoons and only such as may be wife to one of the crew and accompanied by her mother. ”

“ Therefore, unless I give heed to second thoughts, I would believe any play actor guilty of all sins—a man that would beat his wife and murder little children, perhaps even upon the Sabbath Day. Yet, if the truth were known, it might be found that just because a man is a play actor he would not of his nature’s necessity and habit do these things. Nevertheless, my first thought would be that he would—because he is a play actor. Fall not into the like misjudgments, mistress. Know that our ship’s company live under rigid law and rule. Else we could not hope to prosper. ”

“ LYDIA (vaguely and feebly)
My mind?
BIMBO
Don’t you know that men in our way of business have got to keep the public confidence? We have to depend on trading off our goods, don’t we? Do you suppose if we lost the confidence of the coast folk we could hope to prosper? (Shaking his head to the Gunner.) I declare, it’s sickening, the little that people of one walk in life know of those in another walk in life!
THE GUNNER
Yes, ’tis. Sickening! (Here he addresses Driscoll, in a tone of annoyance as Driscoll has begun to renew his struggle with him.) Stand quiet, you! ”

“ LYDIA
Why, sin.
BIMBO
I said error. The common error is to misjudge all who walk not in our own way, and to call them sinners. Then, having called them sinners, we think they sin [29] every sin. That is the common error; and now, as it is the Seventh Day and meet for confession, I humbly confess to be an erring creature, not above this error myself. To make the matter plain to you, take the calling of a play actor. Now, that is a calling abhorrent to me from my earliest training. ”

“ LYDIA (pointing at the Gunner)
He said we should be made to suffer for the badness of our cargo.
BIMBO (severely)
He meant a fine or toll should be levied against your father; but that would mean our holding him here and having his daily association with us on our ship until the fine or ransom could be sent from Jamaica. I would vote against it, because from what we have seen of him I would rather go without the money.
LYDIA
So you strip us of what goods we have——
BIMBO (sharply)
Only such as we shall not be ashamed to sell to honest folk. We shall not touch your father’s molasses. ”

“ James’s, for, like Robert, she has been dressing to a lover’s eye. She now lies upon her side beneath the central lantern, her ankles tied, her wrists roped behind her, and her long, luxuriant curls disordered.
The man who has just entered by the only door that leads into the cabin—upon the left at the back—is the pirate ship’s Gunner. He is big in person, brawny, and brown-skinned. His long, coarse, black hair hangs about his face; a white cloth, stained with red, is bound round his head, covering one eye ”

“ ROBERT (springing up as they lay hands upon her)
Let her alone! I’ll——
(He stops, finding the Deaf-and-Dumb Man close beside him, grinning, and with a bare cutlass in his hand. The other two pirates put Lydia into her chair, where she continues to sob.)
BIMBO (resuming his seat at the table, glances at his ledger, then addresses Driscoll)
How many barrels of molasses have you got in that ship o’ yours?
DRISCOLL
Wretch!
(The Gunner and the Man with the Braided Beard again growl menacingly.)
BIMBO (again checks them)
Let be, I say! (To Driscoll.) How many barrels of rum? ”

“ BIMBO (crisply)
The fat old merchantlike body is your father, is he?
LYDIA (weeping)
Yes—my father.
BIMBO (thoughtfully)
And you and he the only passengers aboard. (To Robert.) The old man says he owns shares in your ship and cargo.
ROBERT (sullenly)
Yes, and in other ships and cargoes. ’Tis Mr. Driscoll, the great Liverpool merchant, and I warn you if harm comes to him, or to his daughter here, the whole British Navy will——
BIMBO (snarling)
The “whole British Navy”! The whole British Navy is hot after me now, mate, and has been these two years. ”

“ The Deaf-and-Dumb Man makes an unpleasant vocal sound, looking at Bimbo, who points to the brazier. The man dumps his coals in the brazier and stands beside it. The brazier glows. Lydia and Robert stare at it in [16] anguish. The Deaf-and-Dumb Man looks at Bimbo inquiringly, and the latter waves his hand. The Deaf-and-Dumb Man retires to a position near the door. ”

“ I make it sixteen score molasses, fourteen dozen rum, seventeen hogshead Jamaica cured tobacco, thirteen hundred sixty bushel of grain or thereabouts, mildewed and part useless; the tobacco of poor quality and the molasses dirty. (He closes the ledger disgustedly.) There’s a fine cargo for [21] you! I hazard there’s not seventy pounds value that’s worth our keeping. And yet landsmen say we have an easy profession and envy us.
THE GUNNER
Aye; they think all we have to do is overhaul a ship and carry away big chests o’ gold and jewels. ”

“ He is scrupulously dressed; has fine lace at his throat; wears a brocaded black-and-crimson coat, black silk waistcoat and black silk breeches and stockings, with silver buckles to his shoes. There is a dark crimson sash about his waist, with a bandolier of the same color passing over his left shoulder; and attached by crimson silk ribbons to the sash and bandolier are eight pistols. He carries no sword or cutlass, but has a great plumed hat in his hand.)
[11]
BIMBO (to the Gunner, sharply, with a brief gesture toward Robert)
Make the gentleman easy. ”

“ We hain’t a jewel this twelvemonth. (Angrily to Driscoll.) Do you know what we’ve got from the last seven ships we’ve taken? Fish! Salt fish! And if there’s one thing we don’t need it’s fish.
THE GUNNER (violently)
I hate fish!
BIMBO
It’s enough to make a man give up his calling! (He throws himself into a chair.) Why, if I could ha’ known beforehand how many cargoes would prove just salt fish and spoilt grain, do you think I’d ever gone for this way of business?
THE GUNNER (vehemently)
No! And neither would any young man that could find another opening for himself. ”

“ The turbulence is manifested by a composite sound, somewhat muffled, the trampling of feet, bellowings and angry shoutings, and a rattle of drums; and the repeated blare of fierce trumpets. Then [2] a girl’s voice is heard screaming in an anguish of fear and protest ”

“ LYDIA (bitterly)
I suppose they will take to gaming and to carousing on my father’s rum.
(The Gunner and the Man with the Braided Beard utter short, grim laughter.)
BIMBO (sternly)
When I took my dram o’ brandy I told you it was for no pleasure I had of it. No man of our company may have his dram o’ Sundays except one, and that for being cold inside him, nor may any perform any labor except to the ship’s pressing need. For recreation—none is permitted except the reading of some religious book. ”

“ Against the walls are several rough sea chests; there is a brass brazier with a grilled cover near the center of the cabin; and against the rear wall there is a tall cupboard, closed. A rough and heavy wooden table, six feet long, is upon the right of the stage and is set parallel with the side walls. Upon it are some articles of antique pattern; a large copper bowl, a painted wooden box with a padlock, some pewter mugs, a large ledger and a jar of long clay pipes.
Beneath the table Robert is seen stretched upon the floor. ”

“ Robert
Lydia
The Gunner
Deuteronomy Bimbo
Driscoll
STAGE PLAN FOR “BIMBO”
[1] BIMBO, THE PIRATE
Note: “Visit the old jail and see the pirate Trickey’s Bible still preserved there.”—Description of York Village, Me.
“The ‘Articles’ [rules for the government of George Lowther’s pirate ship] were sworn to ... on a Bible.... We have an Article which we are sworn to, which is, not to force any married Man to serve us.... No gaming for money at cards or dice was allowed under any circumstances. No women were allowed on board.... ”

“ And that God be duly worshiped.”—The Pirates of the New England Coast, by George Francis Dow and John Henry Edmonds.
“On the Sabbath Day only such tasks were permitted as had to do with working of the Ship and there was no Diversion ... but to read books of a religious nature.”—Narrative of a Seaman Captured and Forced by Pirates.
SCENE
The rise of the curtain discloses a stage too dark to permit the audience to be sure of more than a single detail. This is a large brass lantern of feeble illumination ”