When Mr. Thornhill arrived, they
had thrown a blanket over the head of Jeffery; but Mr. Thornhill in an
instant hurled one down with a blow from the butt-end of his musket, and
the second met the same fate, as he turned to see what was the matter. The third, seeing the colonel free, and the musket levelled at his own
head, immediately ran after the other two, to avoid any serious
consequences to himself. [Illustration: Thornhill Rescues Colonel Jeffery From The Savages.] "Thornhill, you have saved my life," said Colonel Jeffery, excitedly. "Come away, don't stop here--to the ship!--to the ship!" And as he
spoke, they hurried after the crew and they succeeded in reaching the
boats and the ship in safety; congratulating themselves not a little
upon so lucky an escape from a people quite warlike enough to do
mischief, but not civilized enough to distinguish when to do it. When men are far away from home, and in foreign lands with the skies of
other climes above them, their hearts become more closely knit together
in those ties of brotherhood which certainly ought to actuate the whole
universe, but which as certainly do not do so, except in very rare
instances. One of these instances, however, would be found in the
conduct of Colonel Jeffery and Mr. Thornhill, even under any
circumstances, for they were most emphatically what might be termed
kindred spirits; but when we come to unite to that fact the remarkable
manner in which they had been thrown together, and the mutual services
that they had it in their power to render to each other, we should not
be surprised at the almost romantic friendship that arose between them. It was then that Thornhill made the colonel's breast the depository of
all his thoughts and all his wishes, and a freedom of intercourse and a
community of feeling ensued between them, which when it does take place
between persons of really congenial dispositions, produces the most
delightful results of human companionship. No one who has not endured
the tedium of a sea voyage, can at all be aware of what a pleasant thing
it is to have some one on board, in the rich stores of whose intellect
and fancy one can find a never-ending amusement. The winds might now
whistle through the cordage, and the waves toss the great ship on their
foaming crests, still Thornhill and Jeffery were together, finding in
the midst of danger, solace in each other's society, and each animating
the other to the performance of deeds of daring that astonished the
crew. The whole voyage was one of the greatest peril, and some of the
oldest seamen on board did not scruple, during the continuance of their
night watches to intimate to their companions that the ship, in their
opinion, would never reach England, and that she would founder somewhere
along the long stretch of the African coast. The captain, of course,
made every possible exertion to put a stop to such prophetic sayings,
but when once they commenced, in a short time there is no such thing as
completely eradicating them; and they, of course, produced the most
injurious effect, paralysing the exertions of the crew in times of
danger, and making them believe that they are in a doomed ship, and
consequently all they can do is useless. Sailors are extremely
superstitious on such matters, and there cannot be any reasonable doubt,
but that some of the disasters that befel the Neptune on her homeward
voyage from India, may be attributed to this feeling of fatality getting
hold of the seamen, and inducing them to think that, let them try what
they might, they could not save the ship. It happened that after they
had rounded the Cape, a dense fog came on, such as had not been known on
that coast for many a year; although the western shore of Africa at some
seasons of the year is rather subject to such a species of vaporous
exhalation. Every object was wrapped in the most profound gloom, and yet
there was a strong eddy or current of the ocean, flowing parallel with
the land, and as the captain hoped, rather off than on the shore. Still
there was a suspicion that the ship was making lee-way, which must
eventually bring it on shore, by some of the low promontories that were
by the maps indicated to be upon the coast. In consequence of this fear,
the greatest anxiety prevailed on board the vessel, and lights were left
burning on all parts of the deck, while two men were continually engaged
making soundings. It was about half-an-hour after midnight, as the
chronometer indicated a storm, that suddenly the men, who were on watch
on the deck, raised a loud cry of dismay. They had suddenly seen close
on to the larboard bow, lights which must belong to some vessel that,
like the Neptune, was encompassed in the fog, and a collision was quite
inevitable, for neither ship had time to put about. The only doubt,
which was a fearful and an agonising one to have solved, was whether the
stronger vessel was of sufficient bulk and power to run them down, or
they it; and that fearful question was one which a few moments must
settle. In fact, almost before the echo of that cry of horror which had
come from the men, had died away, the vessels met. There was a hideous
crash--one shriek of dismay and horror, and then all was still. The
Neptune, with considerable damage, and some of her bulwarks stove in,
sailed on; but the other ship went, with a surging sound, to the bottom
of the sea. Alas! nothing could be done. The fog was so dense, that
coupled, too, as it was with the darkness of the night, there could be
no hope of rescuing one of the ill-fated crew of the ship; and the
officers and seamen of the Neptune, although they shouted for some time,
and then listened, to hear if any survivors of the ship that had been
run down were swimming, no answer came to them; and when in about six
hours more, they sailed out of the fog into a clear sunshine, where
there was not so much as a cloud to be seen, they looked at each other
like men newly awakened from some strange and fearful dream. They never
discovered the name of the ship they had run down, and the whole affair
remained a profound mystery. When the Neptune reached the port of
London, the affair was repeated, and every exertion was made to obtain
some information concerning the ill-fated ship that had met with so
fearful a doom. Such were the circumstances which awakened all the
liveliest feelings of gratitude on the part of Colonel Jeffery towards
Mr. Thornhill; and hence was it that he considered it a sacred duty, now
that he was in London, and had the necessary leisure to do so, to leave
no stone unturned to discover what had become of him. After deep and
anxious thought, and feeling convinced that there was some mystery which
it was beyond his power to discover, he resolved upon asking the opinion
of a friend, likewise in the army, a Captain Rathbone, concerning the
whole of the facts.