254 A VOYAGE IN THE NORTH SEAS. 



you to beware of them on shore ; not that they arn't good seamen, 

 for better and activer men in a gale of wind I would not wish to see 

 reef canvas but they're all mounseers, 'cept Black Bill, and they're 

 lawless men, and they're desperate men, and what's worse they think 

 Captain Bellamy's an angel of light ; when God he knows he's no 

 better than an alligator, that lives both on land and water, but be- 

 longs rightly to neither. I've a respect for you, young man, thof 

 you're no seaman, and therefore I say again keep to windward of our 

 captain and these foreign fellows." So saying, the old man collected 

 his work, and walked forward towards his companions. 



Arundel remained for a little ruminating on the strange mixture 

 of superstition, good-nature, and honest indignation which the an- 

 cient mariner had betrayed, and then smiling at himself for feeling 

 disposed to consider the communication of any consequence, he de- 

 scended to the cabin. 



He was somewhat surprised to find himself, immediately on his en- 

 trance, addressed with extreme cordiality by Captain Bellamy, who 

 informed him that, in order to gratify the young lady, he had ordered 

 his boat to be manned, and would be happy if Mr. Arundel would 

 accompany them on shore. Flora, evidently delighted with the anti- 

 cipated expedition, joined in the request. There was something 

 forced in the captain's manner, an ill-concealed embarrassment, which 

 created undefined suspicions in Frank's mind. He looked steadily 

 at Bellamy, who, after meeting the expression of his eye for a mo- 

 ment with a glance of irresolute impudence, at length fairly turned 

 aside in confusion. Arundel could not help thinking there was some- 

 thing more in this than the mere quailing of a base mind before one 

 conscious of rectitude ; and determining to watch carefully the move- 

 ments of the captain, he briefly assented to join the party. 



Two or three hatchets, some bundles of needles, and a few other 

 iron or steel implements, together with some straps of beads, were 

 placed in the boat, for the purpose, as it was pretended, of being ex- 

 changed with the natives, should they fall in with any, for morse- 

 teeth, whalebone, or furs, and in a short time the party were ad- 

 vancing to the shore with all the speed with which six stout rowers 

 could impel the boat. 



Arundel sat silent during the passage, for he was somewhat sur- 

 prised that, as the old boatsteerer had said, the whole of those seamen 

 who had been taken from the wreck of the smuggler formed their 

 boat's company. Bellamy attempted to ingratiate himself with Flora, 

 though he evidently laboured under some unaccountable embarrass- 

 ment. The man who pulled the bow-oar, namely Black Bill (as 

 Joe had called him), looked out frequently from beneath his bushy 

 overhanging brows, with an expression which Arundel in vain at- 

 tempted to decipher. Thus they reached the mouth of the narrow 

 inlet, and pulled along its indented shores for a considerable distance 

 without perceiving any traces of inhabitants. At length they landed, 

 and after partaking of some refreshment, Captain Bellamy proposed 

 to Mr. Arundel that they should divide into two parties, one of which 

 should penetrate a few miles inland in search of game, while the other 

 pulled along the shores of the inlet, that being the most likely way 



