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The Perils of Certain English Prisoners



by Charles Dickens














CHAPTER  ITHE ISLAND OF SILVER…STORE







It was in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty…

four; that I; Gill Davis to command; His Mark; having then the

honour to be a private in the Royal Marines; stood a…leaning over

the bulwarks of the armed sloop Christopher Columbus; in the South

American waters off the Mosquito shore。



My lady remarks to me; before I go any further; that there is no

such christian…name as Gill; and that her confident opinion is; that

the name given to me in the baptism wherein I was made; &c。; was

Gilbert。  She is certain to be right; but I never heard of it。  I

was a foundling child; picked up somewhere or another; and I always

understood my christian…name to be Gill。  It is true that I was

called Gills when employed at Snorridge Bottom betwixt Chatham and

Maidstone to frighten birds; but that had nothing to do with the

Baptism wherein I was made; &c。; and wherein a number of things were

promised for me by somebody; who let me alone ever afterwards as to

performing any of them; and who; I consider; must have been the

Beadle。  Such name of Gills was entirely owing to my cheeks; or

gills; which at that time of my life were of a raspy description。



My lady stops me again; before I go any further; by laughing exactly

in her old way and waving the feather of her pen at me。  That action

on her part; calls to my mind as I look at her hand with the rings

on itWell!  I won't!  To be sure it will come in; in its own

place。  But it's always strange to me; noticing the quiet hand; and

noticing it (as I have done; you know; so many times) a…fondling

children and grandchildren asleep; to think that when blood and

honour were upthere!  I won't! not at present!Scratch it out。



She won't scratch it out; and quite honourable; because we have made

an understanding that everything is to be taken down; and that

nothing that is once taken down shall be scratched out。  I have the

great misfortune not to be able to read and write; and I am speaking

my true and faithful account of those Adventures; and my lady is

writing it; word for word。



I say; there I was; a…leaning over the bulwarks of the sloop

Christopher Columbus in the South American waters off the Mosquito

shore:  a subject of his Gracious Majesty King George of England;

and a private in the Royal Marines。



In those climates; you don't want to do much。  I was doing nothing。

I was thinking of the shepherd (my father; I wonder?) on the

hillsides by Snorridge Bottom; with a long staff; and with a rough

white coat in all weathers all the year round; who used to let me

lie in a corner of his hut by night; and who used to let me go about

with him and his sheep by day when I could get nothing else to do;

and who used to give me so little of his victuals and so much of his

staff; that I ran away from himwhich was what he wanted all along;

I expectto be knocked about the world in preference to Snorridge

Bottom。  I had been knocked about the world for nine…and…twenty

years in all; when I stood looking along those bright blue South

American Waters。  Looking after the shepherd; I may say。  Watching

him in a half…waking dream; with my eyes half…shut; as he; and his

flock of sheep; and his two dogs; seemed to move away from the

ship's side; far away over the blue water; and go right down into

the sky。



〃It's rising out of the water; steady;〃 a voice said close to me。  I

had been thinking on so; that it like woke me with a start; though

it was no stranger voice than the voice of Harry Charker; my own

comrade。



〃What's rising out of the water; steady?〃 I asked my comrade。



〃What?〃 says he。  〃The Island。〃



〃O!  The Island!〃 says I; turning my eyes towards it。  〃True。  I

forgot the Island。〃



〃Forgot the port you're going to?  That's odd; ain't it?〃



〃It is odd;〃 says I。



〃And odd;〃 he said; slowly considering with himself; 〃ain't even。

Is it; Gill?〃



He had always a remark just like that to make; and seldom another。

As soon as he had brought a thing round to what it was not; he was

satisfied。  He was one of the best of men; and; in a certain sort of

a way; one with the least to say for himself。  I qualify it;

because; besides being able to read and write like a Quarter…master;

he had always one most excellent idea in his mind。  That was; Duty。

Upon my soul; I don't believe; though I admire learning beyond

everything; that he could have got a better idea out of all the

books in the world; if he had learnt them every word; and been the

cleverest of scholars。



My comrade and I had been quartered in Jamaica; and from there we

had been drafted off to the British settlement of Belize; lying away

West and North of the Mosquito coast。  At Belize there had been

great alarm of one cruel gang of pirates (there were always more

pirates than enough in those Caribbean Seas); and as they got the

better of our English cruisers by running into out…of…the…way creeks

and shallows; and taking the land when they were hotly pressed; the

governor of Belize had received orders from home to keep a sharp

look…out for them along shore。  Now; there was an armed sloop came

once a…year from Port Royal; Jamaica; to the Island; laden with all

manner of necessaries; to eat; and to drink; and to wear; and to use

in various ways; and it was aboard of that sloop which had touched

at Belize; that I was a…standing; leaning over the bulwarks。



The Island was occupied by a very small English colony。  It had been

given the name of Silver…Store。  The reason of its being so called;

was; that the English colony owned and worked a silver…mine over on

the mainland; in Honduras; and used this Island as a safe and

convenient place to store their silver in; until it was annually

fetched away by the sloop。  It was brought down from the mine to the

coast on the backs of mules; attended by friendly Indians and

guarded by white men; from thence it was conveyed over to Silver…

Store; when the weather was fair; in the canoes of that country;

from Silver…Store; it was carried to Jamaica by the armed sloop once

a…year; as I have already mentioned; from Jamaica; it went; of

course; all over the world。



How I came to be aboard the armed sloop; is easily told。  Four…and…

twenty marines under command of a lieutenantthat officer's name

was Linderwoodhad been told off at Belize; to proceed to Silver…

Store; in aid of boats and seamen stationed there for the chase of

the Pirates。  The Island was considered a good post of observation

against the pirates; both by land and sea; neither the pirate ship

nor yet her boats had been seen by any of us; but they had been so

much heard of; that the reinforcement was sent。  Of that party; I

was one。  It included a corporal and a sergeant。  Charker was

corporal; and the sergeant's name was Drooce。  He was the most

tyrannical non…commissioned officer in His Majesty's service。



The night came on; soon after I had had the foregoing words with

Charker。  All the wonderful bright colours went out of the sea and

sky in a few minutes; and all the stars in the Heavens seemed to

shine out together; and to look down at themselves in the sea; over

one another's shoulders; millions deep。  Next morning; we cast

anchor off the Island。  There was a snug harbour within a little

reef; there was a sandy beach; there were cocoa…nut trees with high

straight stems; quite bare; and foliage at the top like plumes of

magnificent green feathers; there were all the objects that are

usually seen in those parts; and I am not going to describe them;

having something else to tell about。



Great rejoicings; to be sure; were made on our arrival。  All the

flags in the place were hoisted; all the guns in the place were

fired; and all the people in the place came down to look at us。  One

of those Sambo fellowsthey call those natives Sambos; when they

are half…negro and half…Indianhad come off outside the reef; to

pilot us in; and remained on board after we had let go our anchor。

He was called Christian George King; and was fonder of all hands

than anybody else was。  Now; I confess; for myself; that on that

first day; if I had been captain of the Christopher Columbus;

instead of private in the Royal Marines; I should have kicked

Christian George Kingwho was no more a Christian than he was a

King or a Georgeover the side; without exactly knowing why; except

that it was the right thing to do。



But; I must likewise confess; that I was not in a particularly

pleasant humour; when I stood under arms that morning; aboard the

Christopher Columbus in the harbour of the Island of Silver…Store。

I had had a hard life; and the life of the English on the Island

seemed too easy and too gay to please me。  〃Here you are;〃 I thought

to myself; 〃good scholars and good livers; able t

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