But there was none. Snarleyyow, when he saw the lad go down on his knees, flew at him, and threw him on his back, growling over him, and occasionally looking at his master.
“Come here, Snarleyyow,” said Mr. Vanslyperken. “Come here, sir, and lie down.” But Snarleyyow had not forgotten the red-herring; so in revenge he first bit Smallbones in the thigh, and then obeyed his master.
“Get up, sir,” cried the lieutenant.
Smallbones rose, but his temper now rose also; he forgot all that he was to suffer, from indignation against the dog: with flashing eyes, and whimpering with rage, he cried out, as the tears fell, and his arms swung round, “I’ll not stand this—I’ll jump overboard—that I will: fourteen times has that ere dog a-bitten me this week. I’d sooner die at once than be made dog’s meat of in this here way.”
“Silence, you mutinous rascal, or I’ll put you in irons.”
“I wish you would—irons don’t bite, if they hold fast. I’ll run away—I don’t mind being hung—that I don’t—starved to death, bitten to death in this here way—”
“Silence, sir. It’s over-feeding that makes you saucy.”
“The Lord forgive you!” cried Smallbones, with surprise; “I’ve not had a full meal—”
“A full meal, you rascal! there’s no filling a thing like you—hollow from top to bottom, like a bamboo.”
“And what I does get,” continued Smallbones, with energy, “I pays dear for; that ere dog flies at me, if I takes a bit o’ biscuit. I never has a bite without getting a bite, and it’s all my own allowance.”
“A proof of his fidelity, and an example to you, you wretch,” replied the lieutenant, fondly patting the dog on the head.
“Well, I wish you’d discharge me, or hang me, I don’t care which. You eats so hearty, and the dog eats so hearty, that I gets nothing. We are only victualled for two.”
“You insolent fellow! recollect the thief’s cat.”
“It’s very hard,” continued Smallbones, unmindful of the threat “that that ere beast is to eat my allowance, and be allowed to half eat me too.”
“You forget the keel-hauling, you scarecrow.”
“Well, I hope I may never come up again, that’s all.”
“Leave the cabin, sir.”
This order Smallbones obeyed.
“Snarleyyow,” said the lieutenant, “you are hungry, my poor beast.” Snarleyyow put his forepaw up on his master’s knee. “You shall have your breakfast soon,” continued his master, eating the burgoo between his addresses to the animal. “Yes, Snarleyyow, you have done wrong this morning; you ought to have no breakfast.” Snarleyyow growled, “We are only four years acquainted, and how many scrapes you have got me into, Snarleyyow!” Snarleyyow here put both his paws upon his master’s knee. “Well, you are sorry, my poor dog, and you shall have some breakfast;” and Mr. Vanslyperken put the basin of burgoo on the floor, which the dog tumbled down his throat most rapidly. “Nay, my dog, not so fast; you must leave some for Smallbones; he will require some breakfast before his punishment. There, that will do;” and Mr. Vanslyperken wished to remove the basin with a little of the burgoo remaining in it. Snarleyyow growled, would have snapped at his master, but Mr. Vanslyperken shoved him away with the bell-mouth of his speaking-trumpet, and recovering a portion of the mess, put it on the table for the use of poor Smallbones. “Now, then, my dog, we will go on deck.” Mr. Vanslyperken left the cabin, followed by Snarleyyow; but as soon as his master was half way up the ladder, Snarleyyow turned back, leaped on the chair, from the chair to the table, and then finished the whole of the breakfast appropriated for Smallbones. Having effected this, the dog followed his master.
Chapter Three.
A Retrospect, and Short Description of a New Character.
But we must leave poor Smallbones to lament his hard fate in the fore peak of the vessel, and Mr. Vanslyperken and his dog to walk the quarter-deck, while we make our readers a little better acquainted with the times in which the scenes passed which we are now describing, as well as with the history of Mr. Vanslyperken.
The date in our first chapter, that of the year 1699, will, if the refer back to history, show them that William of Nassau had been a few years on the English throne, and that peace had just been concluded between England with its allies and France. The king occasionally passed his time in Holland, among his Dutch countrymen, and the English and Dutch fleets, which but a few years before were engaging with such an obstinacy of courage, had lately sailed together, and turned their guns against the French. William, like all those continental princes who have been called to the English throne, showed much favour to his own countrymen, and England was overrun with Dutch favourites, Dutch courtiers, and peers of Dutch extraction. He would not even part with his Dutch guards, and was at issue with the Commons of England on that very account. But the war was now over, and most of the English and Dutch navy lay dismantled in port, a few small vessels only being in commission to intercept the smuggling from France that was carrying on, much to the detriment of English manufacture, of certain articles then denominated alamodes and lutestrings. The cutter we have described was on this service, and was named the Yungfrau, although built in England, and forming a part of the English naval force.
It may really be supposed that Dutch interest, during this period, was in the ascendant. Such was the case; and the Dutch officers and seamen who could not be employed in their own marine were appointed in the English vessels, to the prejudice of our own countrymen, Mr. Vanslyperken was of Dutch extraction, but born in England long before the Prince of Orange had ever dreamt of being called to the English throne. He was a near relation of King William’s own nurse, and even in these days that would cause powerful interest. Previous to the revolution he had been laid on the shelf for cowardice in one of the engagements between the Dutch and the English, he being then a lieutenant on board of a two-decked ship, and of long, standing in the service; but before he had been appointed to this vessel, he had served invariably in small craft, and his want of this necessary qualification had never been discovered. The interest used for him on the accession of the Dutch king was sufficient for his again obtaining the command of a small vessel. In those days, the service was very different from what it is now. The commanders of vessels were also the pursers, and could save a great deal of money by defrauding the crew: and further, the discipline of the service was such as would astonish the modern philanthropist; there was no appeal for subordinates and tyranny and oppression, even amounting to the destruction of life, were practised with impunity. Smollett has given his readers some idea of the state of the service a few years after the time of which we are now writing, when it was infinitely worse, for the system of the Dutch, notorious for their cruelty, had been grafted upon that of the English. The consequence was, a combination of all that was revolting to humanity was practised, without any notice being taken of it by the superior powers, provided that the commanders of the vessels did their duty when called upon, and showed the necessary talent and courage.
Lieutenant Vanslyperken’s character may be summed up in the three vices of avarice, cowardice, and cruelty. A miser in the extreme, he had saved up much money by his having had the command of a vessel for so many years, during which
