第36章

Many and many is the time that I have stood my watch, under the equator perhaps, or in the Southern Ocean, when the nights are lighted up with the fires of heaven;and that is the time, I can tell you, my hearties, to bring a man to his bearings in the way of his sins.I have rattled down mine again and again under such circumstances, until the shrouds and lanyards of conscience have fairly creaked with the strain.I agree with you, Master Path-finder, therefore, in saying, if you want a truly religious man, go to sea, or go into the woods.""Uncle, I thought seamen had little credit generally for their respect for religion?""All d----d slander, girl; for all the essentials of Chris-tianity the seaman beats the landsman hand-over-hand.""I will not answer for all this, Master Cap," returned Pathfinder; "but I daresay some of it may be true.Iwant no thunder and lightning to remind me of my God, nor am I as apt to bethink on most of all His goodness in trouble and tribulations as on a calm, solemn, quiet day in a forest, when His voice is heard in the creaking of a dead branch or in the song of a bird, as much in my ears at least as it is ever heard in uproar and gales.How is it with you, Eau-douce? you face the tempests as well as Master Cap, and ought to know something of the feelings of storms.""I fear that I am too young and too inexperienced to be able to say much on such a subject," modestly answered Jasper.

"But you have your feelings!" said Mabel quickly."You cannot -- no one can live among such scenes without feel-ing how much they ought to trust in God!""I shall not belie my training so much as to say I do not sometimes think of these things, but I fear it is not so often or so much as I ought.""Fresh water," resumed Cap pithily; "you are not to expect too much of the young man, Mabel.I think they call you sometimes by a name which would insinuate all this: Eau-de-vie, is it not?""Eau-douce," quietly replied Jasper, who from sailing on the lake had acquired a knowledge of French, as well as of several of the Indian dialects."It is a name the Iro-quois have given me to distinguish me from some of my companions who once sailed upon the sea, and are fond of filling the ears of the natives with stories of their great salt-water lakes.""And why shouldn't they? I daresay they do the sav-ages no harm.Ay, ay, Eau-deuce; that must mean the white brandy, which may well enough be called the deuce, for deuced stuff it is!""The signification of Eau-douce is sweet-water, and it is the manner in which the French express fresh-water,"rejoined Jasper, a little nettled.

"And how the devil do they make water out of Eau-in-deuce, when it means brandy in Eau-de-vie? Besides, among seamen, Eau always means brandy; and Eau-de-vie, brandy of a high proof.I think nothing of your ig-norance, young man; for it is natural to your situation, and cannot be helped.If you will return with me, and make a v'y'ge or two on the Atlantic, it will serve you a good turn the remainder of your days; and Mabel there, and all the other young women near the coast, will think all the better of you should you live to be as old as one of the trees in this forest.""Nay, nay," interrupted the single-hearted and generous guide; "Jasper wants not for friends in this region, I can assure you; and though seeing the world, according to his habits, may do him good as well as another, we shall think none the worse of him if he never quits us.Eau-douce or Eau-de-vie, he is a brave, true-hearted youth, and I always sleep as soundly when he is on the watch as if I was up and stirring myself; ay, and for that matter, sounder too.

The Sergeant's daughter here doesn't believe it necessary for the lad to go to sea in order to make a man of him, or one who is worthy to be respected and esteemed."Mabel made no reply to this appeal, and she even looked towards the western shore, although the darkness rendered the natural movements unnecessary to conceal her face.

But Jasper felt that there was a necessity for his saying something, the pride of youth and manhood revolting at the idea of his being in a condition not to command the re-spect of his fellows or the smiles of his equals of the other sex.Still he was unwilling to utter aught that might be considered harsh to the uncle of Mabel; and his self-command was perhaps more creditable than his modesty and spirit.

"I pretend not to things I don't possess," he said, "and lay no claim to any knowledge of the ocean or of naviga-tion.We steer by the stars and the compass on these lakes, running from headland to headland; and having little need of figures and calculations, make no use of them.But we have our claims notwithstanding, as I have often heard from those who have passed years on the ocean.In the first place, we have always the land aboard, and much of the time on a lee-shore, and that I have fre-quently heard makes hardy sailors.Our gales are sudden and severe, and we are compelled to run for our ports at all hours.""You have your leads," interrupted Cap.

"They are of little use, and are seldom cast.""The deep-seas."