Captain Flint

“ The facts in regard to this last diabolical act of the pirates were these.
Captain Flint, in accordance with the plan which he had decided upon, and with which the reader has already been made acquainted, fitted out a small fishing vessel, manned by some of the most desperate of his crew, and commanded by the Parson and Old Ropes.
Most of the men went on board secretly at night, only three men appearing on deck when she set sail. ”

“ As you know, the crew of my associate, Captain Flint, some of whom you saw in New York, are not under the same discipline as my own men. Captain Flint saw fit to express jealousy of the terms I arranged with your principals for the division of the treasure, and in order to conciliate him and assure him of my good faith I gave him my grandnephew and Master Corlaer as hostages. ”

“ Just two years after this we still find the Rattler cruising about the west coast of Africa, and despite its unhealthiness there was no extra sickness on board and no fever.
Captain Flint was really a good sailor, but snappish and ill-natured. He bullied everyone around him, and often punished his men and boys severely.
Under such a commander it is almost needless to say that Creggan's life was not altogether a happy one. However, he did his duty, and did it with method and precision. He was so strong and healthy that there was no one on board that ship who could make him nervous. ”

“ These three were Captain Flint, the one called the Parson and Old Ropes.
These were at first disposed to show fight, but it was of no use. Their arms had been lost in their struggle in the water.
They were soon overpowered and put in irons.
Great was the excitement caused in the goodly little City of New York, by the arrival of the merchant ship bringing as prisoners, the daring pirate with two of his men whose fearful deeds had caused all the inhabitants of the land to thrill with horror. ”

“ An appreciable degree of respect dawned in Flint's eyes.
"He is no butter-tub if he bested Bill," conceded the Walrus' captain. "Curse me, though, if I see why you should add a cub to your crew."
"Tut, tut, captain," remonstrated Murray. "'A cub!' Think again. The boy is my heir."
"All he'll fall heir to will be the rope that hung you," returned Flint. "But I'll own I did you wrong when I accused you of being but two men the better by your shore expedition. I was forgetting the red-headed mascot John Silver fetched aboard. 'Tis the first promise o' luck we ha' had! ”

“ There was every reason to fear that they had been captured by this desperate stranger who had sunk them, killing all on board.
The captain of some vessels which had arrived in safety reported having been followed by a suspicious looking craft.
They said she was a schooner about the size of one commanded by Captain Flint, but rather longer, having higher masts and carrying more sail.
No one appeared to be more excited on the subject of the pirate, than Captain Flint. He declared that he had seen the mysterious vessel, had been chased by her, and had only escaped by his superior sailing. ”

“ For—you would have thought men would have been ashamed of themselves—no soul would consent to return with us to the "Admiral Benbow." The more we told of our troubles, the more—man, woman, and child—they clung to the shelter of their houses. The name of Captain Flint, though it was strange to me, was well enough known to some there, and carried a great weight of terror. ”

“ He talks like a man with a good education, and he has been mate of a steamer of good size. But I know very little concerning him, and am afraid he has one out."
"What is that, captain?"
"I am afraid he is fond of whiskey, though I do not know that he is."
"He can't get any whiskey here unless it is served out to him; so that habit, if it is his habit, will do him no harm," argued Mr. Flint.
"I appoint him third lieutenant temporarily."
"That will amount to their being made ensigns when you go north again if they prove to be worthy of promotion," added the executive officer, with a chuckle. ”

“ Here the party halted, and the captain shouted at the top of his voice:
"What ho! there, Lightfoot, you she devil, why don't you light up!"
This rude summons was repeated several times before it received any answer.
At length an answer came in what was evidently a female voice, and from one who was in no very good humor: "Oh, don't you get into a passion now. How you s'pose I know you was coming back so soon."
"Didn't I tell you I'd be back to-day!" angrily asked Flint.
"Well, what if you did," replied the voice. "Do you always come when you says you will?" ”

“ As they passed the bluff on the other side of the cove from Captain's Hill, Jimmy suddenly dropped his side of the basket of clams. "Hi!" he exclaimed. "Why can't we go up into the light-house, now Mr. Flint is with us?"
"Not to-day," answered his sister, repressively. "Mr. Flint may have other engagements, and then, you know, Dr. Cricket is waiting for his game of chess."
"As for me," said Flint, "I was never more at leisure; and as for your appointment with the Doctor, I advise you to adopt my motto: 'Better never than late.'"
Winifred hesitated. ”

“ And then it was observed that the strange craft was never seen when the captain's vessel was lying in port, or when she was known to be up the river where he was trading among the Indians.
Another suspicious circumstance was, that shortly after the strange disappearance of a merchant vessel, Flint's schooner came into port with her rigging considerably damaged, as if she had suffered from some unusual cause. Flint accounted for it by saying that he had been fired into by the pirate, and had just escaped with the skin of his teeth. ”

“ Flint is as much of a purist as ever—no; don't leave us together. He and I have been quarrelling over the tea-cups this afternoon. I will let you take up the defence, while I go over to speak to your sister, Miss Wabash, in the corner—and isn't that Captain Blathwayt with her?"
"Yes, he crossed with us on the 'Lucania'; remembered meeting you in Cheyenne or some other outlandish Western town—thinks you the most charming American he ever met."
"How clever of you!" said Winifred over her shoulder, as she moved away. "Reflected flattery is the most alluring kind." ”

“ Well, well! heredity is a queer thing. We think we get away from it, but it is always cropping up in unexpected places. Our ancestors [Pg 86] are like atra cura, and ride behind every man's saddle."
The clock struck three as he finished his musings. He pushed away his chair, and set back the lamp on the mantel. The light, flaring a little in the draught from the open window, lent a startling look of life to the portrait above it. Flint seemed almost to hear the voice of the dying sea-captain whispering: "God bless you, Ruth—I wish I had understood you better!" ”

“ Before it would be possible to board, a man as intelligent as Mulgrum, who had served as executive officer, could easily disable the engine. This idea had but just come to the commander, who thought before that he had closed every opening against the conspirators. He went on deck as soon as he had settled this matter. The fog seemed to be rather more dense than before, and when he went on the bridge, it was reported that the stranger could no longer be made out.
"I have just received the roster of the 'Bronx Association,'" said Flint, as the captain joined him. ”

“ When a mate brings a slip on his cable—one as knows me, I mean—it won't be in the same world with old John. There was some that was feared of Pew, and some that was feared of Flint; but Flint his own self was feared of me. Feared he was, and proud. They was the roughest crew afloat, was Flint's; the devil himself would have been feared to go to sea with them. Well, now, I tell you, I'm not a boasting man, and you seen yourself how easy I keep company; but when I was quartermaster, lambs wasn't the word for Flint's old buccaneers. Ah, you may be sure of yourself in old John's ship. ”

“ On the little boat came, now dipping almost out of sight in the hollow of the big green waves, now rising like a cork upon their crest.
"Hurrah!" cried Brady, "they're almost in."
"Hm!" said Michael, "not yet, by a long sight! The danger comes when they git into the breakers."
Flint was enough of a sailor to know that the fisherman spoke truth. A little later, he saw the white, combing foam break over the boat. He drew his breath quicker, and caught his under-lip between his teeth.
"There's four men in her," said Marsden, making a telescope of his closed hands. ”

“ Off with you, Jim, while the tide is out, and dig your basket of clams! Come on, Flint, and we will join them at the Point! How will you go, and when?"
"I think we'd better go up in the Whites' sail-boat. There'll be room for one of you," said Miss Standish, looking meaningly at her nephew, for she had not yet forgiven Flint's indifference.
"That's good," Flint said cheerfully. "You take Brady. He's better ballast; and I'll row up in my dory."
"A good excuse for coming late and leaving early," said Winifred, mockingly. ”

“ Besides apologies never last long. It is only explanations which take time—"
Flint jumped from the gunwale of the sail-boat into the dory, and took the oars. As he headed for shore, he turned his eyes once more to the sail-boat, and the glimpse that he had of [Pg 34] its skipper he carried for long after—the vision of her standing there in the stern, against the stretch of blue water, her soft handkerchief of some red stuff knotted about her throat above the gray jacket, her felt hat thrust up in front above the waves of her hair, and her eyes smiling with frank mirthfulness. ”

“ Quick as thunder, and the last man grab 'em when they come within reach!"
In answer to Michael's words, the men hastily formed in line, and moved out till Brady stood chest-deep in water. It was a wise precaution, for Flint, though a good swimmer, found his task too hard for him. He felt like a man in a nightmare with a weight of lead upon his chest; and arms that must move, and could not move, and yet must again. ”

“ Who are all those men in the boat with you, Gilder?"
"They belong to the water guard," replied Christy, at a venture, and he thought that would describe them as well as any terms at his command. "They expected you to go out by the main channel to-night."
"No lie in that," chuckled Flint.
"I wish they would come on board of the Teaser and help me out, for my men won't work."
"How many men have you?" asked the lieutenant.
"Just fifteen; the rest of my crew were to come on board at midnight, half an hour before high tide. ”

“ We may have to send off a boat expedition, as we did at Cedar Keys, and we are in absolute need of more officers."
"We have plenty of material out of which to make them, and we can do as we did after the fight with the Scotian and the Arran, when we made them," replied Mr. Flint. "We have men of good education in the crew, who have either commanded coasters, or been mates on steamers."
"If you will name one, I will name another," added Christy.
"Quartermaster Camden. He commanded a three-masted schooner in the coal trade. ”

“ But when the philosopher chances to be a seaman on a very dangerous coast, it will be admitted that the strength of this confidence is put to a test somewhat more severe; and we find nevertheless that Captain Flinders staked the safety of his ship and the existence of himself and his crew on the truth of the above proposition. ”

“ See how she pounds on the reef out there! She is likely to go to pieces before many hours, I should say, and if a wind springs up, as it's pretty sure to do with morning, it would be an ugly lookout."
"Is there a life-boat anywhere?" asked Flint.
"Yes," said Leonard, somewhat scornfully, "in the pond." (He pronounced it pawnd.)
"They must have boats on the ship," said Marsden; "seems to me I see 'em launchin' one now." At this the men on shore huddled [Pg 134] closer together, as though four could see farther than one. ”

“ He felt that he had appeared like a fool; and it must be a generous soul which can forgive one who has been both cause and witness of such humiliation. To conquer his irritation, Flint proceeded to take his injured rod to pieces, and repack it gloomily in its bag of green felt. When he looked up again, all petty annoyances faded out of his mind, for there ahead of him, behind the little patch of pines, lay the great cool, cobalt stretch of ocean, unfathomably deep, unutterably blue.
The young man felt a vague awe and exaltation tugging at his heart. ”

“ He saw the sack strike the shadow that was Axel Gustafsen, and instantly there was a flicker of the knife. Flint leaned farther out. Other shadows were gathering. Then a dark cloud enveloped the shadow that was the diver and as if from a great distance Skin Flint heard a shout from the other boat and a rapid order. But he had no eyes for anything but the shadows below him. He saw the whole mass slowly rise, but the black cloud enveloped it and he laughed.
“Blood!” he muttered. "He cannot see to strike with his knife.” ”

“ Navigation is like flirtation: all goes smoothly till the shock comes, and then everything capsizes, with no chance for explanation.
"The Aquidneck" began to fill, and then to [Pg 28] sink so rapidly that Flint, not caring to risk entanglement in the sheets, thought it prudent to jump overboard, and struck out lustily for the shore. Fortunately for Flint, the shore was near and the water shallow. Unfortunately, the shore was at the end further from the inn, his clothes were soaking, and his tobacco and whiskey flask in the locker, already under water in the midst of mud and eel-grass. ”